This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
In performing a procedure, a user, such as a surgeon, can perform a procedure on a subject with a navigation system. The navigation system can assist in determining a location of a tracked device, such as a scalpel, catheter, or deep brain stimulation probe, by tracking a tracking device associated with the tracked device. The tracked device can include the instruments noted above, to which a tracking device is associated, such as directly affixed thereto. The instrument can allow a procedure to be performed on a subject while illustrating the location of the instrument relative to the subject. The position of the instrument can be illustrated relative to the subject by superimposing an icon representing the instrument on an image of the subject.
Image data is acquired of the subject for display prior to, during, and after a procedure on the subject. The image, including the image data which generates or is used to render the image, can be registered to the subject. The image data can define an image space that can include a three-dimensional space. The subject can likewise define a three-dimensional physical space to which the image data is registered. Registration can be performed in a plurality of processes.
According to various embodiments, a navigation system can use a selected tracking modality. The tracking system can include a localizer that generates or views the navigation field. For example, an optical tracking system can include one or more cameras as a localizer that views visible or infrared sources or reflectors. Alternatively, or in addition to an optical system, an electromagnetic navigation system (EM navigation system) can be used. In the EM system, one or more coils generates a field that is sensed by one or more sense coils to determine a location of an instrument.